• 
• 

Medical school dean Dr Thiravat Kultanant says the new law - which allows for malpractice suits - will scare doctors off providing proper treatment. They'll be too scared they'll get taken to court, he says.

Some may even refuse to take on cases altogether, he adds.

"It becomes a nightmare situation for physicians," he says, adding the country is not ready for such legislation.

There is a shortage of medical workers and there is existing conflict between physicians and patients.

"We should not follow countries like the US in implementing laws like this, even if it's good for consumers, because we are still facing a lot of unresolved problems."

Thiravat warns fear of malpractice suits will stop students from entering medicine. "They'll opt for other disciplines to avoid the risk of being sued," he says.

Besides, he says, there are too few specialists, which is why most doctors don't have the skills to treat chronic diseases - another reason why there are so many malpractice cases.

The government needs to look into the healthcare system from all dimensions and address the shortage of medical workers, he says.